


Shatter the Mirror

by EclipseOfTheWild



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Alrighty here we go again, Angst with a Happy Ending, I still suck at tags and I'm sorry, Mirrors, more angst i guess, oh well, there are like 2 OCs but they're purely for plot purposes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 08:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19808290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclipseOfTheWild/pseuds/EclipseOfTheWild
Summary: Of all the ways to start an adventure, getting his stuff stolen wasn't one of his favorites, but this chance encounter with a thief could lead him to a startling discovery.(I'm sorry I'm bad at descriptions, I'm trying here xD)





	Shatter the Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to another fic, it's a bit longer than what I usually do, so I hope y'all enjoy!

Link was greeted with the plain ceiling of his treehouse as he opened his eyes, the sun filtered through the single window that sat some distance away, the glow of dawn lighting up the room. Remembering his duties to the ranch, he hastily rolled out of bed and dressed in his normal Ordonian attire, leaving his green hero’s clothing abandoned in the closet.

Grabbing a satchel, he filled it with a few necessities for his coming adventure before finally deeming himself ready to leave.

When Link opened his front door, the full light of outside made him squint as his eyes adjusted to the change in brightness. After a moment, the hero slid down the ladder of his house, feet hitting the ground in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, an excited neigh sounded from just behind him. Link smiled and turned to see his beloved steed, Epona, prancing in place, clearly happy see to see him. Still smiling, he walked up to her, swinging himself onto her back.

Link patted her neck, “It’s good to see you too, girl! Now, c’mon, we don’t want to keep Fado waitin’ too long!” Epona immediately set off towards the ranch, already eager to start the day. 

The ride through the village wasn’t very eventful, it was still quite quiet at this time of day, save for a few.

As soon as the Ordon Ranch came into sight, Link could see Fado struggling to herd all the stubborn goats into the barn. The hero shook his head and urged Epona closer.

“G’morning, Fado!” Link called as he approached.

Fado spun around, surprised, “Ah, Link, Epona! Thank goodness you’re here! These goats ain’t listenin’ to me today! Do you think you two could help me round ‘em up?”

Link smiled, “That’s what we’re here for! Always glad to help out!” 

The rancher sighed in relief, stepping aside for Link as he quickly got to work, the goats obediently letting themselves be herded into the open barn. After making sure that all of the animals were inside, Link dismounted Epona and shut the doors. 

“Link, I think that might be a new record for you! You really do have a gift when it comes to ranchin’!” Fado complimented, approaching the pair.

Link smiled bashfully, “Oh, it’s nothin’, besides; I highly doubt that anyone could be a better rancher than you, Fado!” 

Fado laughed, “You’re too kind! Well, since you’re here, do you want me to set up the fences for ya?”

“Not today, I think I want to do a bit of explorin’, and I minus well get a head start by leaving now!” He replied, swinging himself back onto Epona.

“Well, alright, thank you for the help!” 

“It was my pleasure; I’ll see you later, Fado!” Link waved as he rode out of the ranch.

More of the villagers were roaming about when Link reentered the village, a few calling out greetings which he returned heartily as he passed by.

When Link finally made it out to the road Epona, sensing his eagerness, sped up until they were galloping through the forest. It had been a while since the two had gone on any long rides like this, since the last time, they had run into a pack of bulblins, and Epona ended up getting a small scrape, invoking the wrath of his friend, Ilia.

After chewing him out for a good part of an hour, she essentially banned him from leaving the village with Epona without consulting her first, which was a hassle since Link knew how strict she was about where he went with the chestnut mare.

He knew she meant well, but she could be a bit too much sometimes. Link just wished she would lighten up a bit about it. Epona never exactly appreciated the babying either, save for the copious amounts of treats she received in Ilia’s care.

Link was snapped out of his thoughts by a scream ripping through the calm of the woods. Epona skidded to a stop, surprised. Just ahead was a brown-haired girl surrounded by bulblins, each holding spiked clubs, grinning widely.

Hardly missing a beat, Link leapt off of Epona, quickly reaching behind him to draw out his steel Ordonian sword. As soon as he hit the ground, he dashed forward, straight towards the unsuspecting monsters.

Surprised by the sudden attack, the bulblins were basically defenseless against his blade, and Link made quick work of them, slashing through the monsters with just a few swipes.

Sheathing his sword, Link turned to the cowering girl.

“Oh, thank you, sir! I thought I was done for!” she wept dramatically, throwing a hand over her eyes.

Link raised an eyebrow at her theatrics, before he heard Epona suddenly rear up, whinnying angrily. The hero whipped around, seeing a hooded figure making off with a leather satchel he had left on Epona’s back. 

It wasn’t filled with anything too valuable, mostly just some food rations, but the satchel itself had belonged to his father, and he couldn’t just let some thief run off with it. Glancing back at the girl, Link started when he saw that she had disappeared.

“She must’ve been with that thief” The hero grumbled to himself, before turning to Epona, “Can you wait here for a minute, girl?”

The chestnut mare snorted indignantly. Link chuckled, getting the message, “I know you can take care of yourself, no need to get offended.”

With that, he dashed off into the woods after the thief.

Clearly, this thief didn’t have much experience when it came to covering their tracks, considering the fact that they left a very obvious trail of snapped twigs and smashed leaves for Link to follow as he ran. 

Dappled sunlight filtered through the many leaves overhead, lighting the way between the trees. By now, Link had wandered far into the woods, the trail being the only thing standing out in the otherwise undisturbed forest.

If he strained his ears, he could hear someone running just ahead, which meant that he was close to the thief. Link probably would have caught up to them by now if he had been able to transform into a wolf, but he hadn’t brought his crystal with him since he figured he would just be riding on Epona.

Suddenly a familiar ragged, brown cloak entered his line of sight, fluttering behind the thief, who was clutching Link’s stolen satchel. With a burst of speed, the hero quickly dashed forward, tackling the thief to the ground, hearing a way-too-young boy cry out as they hit the forest floor.

Reacting quickly, Link, while still keeping a firm grip on the boy, rolled off of him as to not to crush him. By the looks of him, the boy was around twelve years old, with shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes that were shifting left and right, looking for an escape.

What concerned him, however, was how startlingly thin this boy was. He looked as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in a long time, his cheeks looked sunken and two boney arms stuck out of the cloak.

“Please let me go! I’m sorry I stole your stuff! It’s just my sister and were hungry and desperate, but I won’t do it again I swear! Please, please don’t hurt me!” The boy cried, covering his face with his hands.

Link glanced at his satchel, which laid abandoned a few feet away, before releasing the boy to grab a small loaf of bread he stashed inside. The kid had uncovered his face to watch the older boy, before reeling back in shock as the bread was offered to him.

The hero smiled, “Here.” 

The boy looks at the food in awe, before shakily reaching out a hand to snatch the bread away, holding it close to his face and nibbling on it like a squirrel. He was watching Link warily, but otherwise appeared calm.

“Can-can I have some?” A quiet voice whispered nearby, making Link jump. 

Peeking from behind a tree was the same girl from earlier, her eyes wide and hopeful. Link simply smiled again, nodding his consent, and the girl shyly shuffled forward. He once again reached into his satchel and pulled out some of his bread, handing it to the girl.

After letting them both devour the offered food, Link cleared his throat, gaining the two children’s attention, “I hate to be so straightforward about this, but am I correct in assuming that you two don’t have a home?”

The two children shared a quick glance, before turning back to him and nodding. Link sighed, his suspicions confirmed. He stood up, much to the sibling’s apparent confusion, and retrieved the satchel from the ground.

“Okay, how about this: Not too far from here is my town, Ordon Village. We could go there and get you two some food, fresh clothes, and a nice place to sleep for the night.” Link offered, before continuing, seeing the children’s distrust, “I know we just met, and you don’t trust me, but I do want to help you.”

The boy bit his lip, thinking, “Well, how do we know that you’re telling the truth? What if you’re just going to take us back to the orphanage? Or worse, turn us in for stealing your stuff.”

“In all honesty, you don’t, you’d just have to take my word for it. I won’t force you to go with me; I just thought I’d offer.” The hero sighed, turning to leave.

“Wait!!” The girl shouted suddenly, making him turn around again, “We’ll go with you!”

“Emily! What are you doing? We just met this man!” The boy angrily whispered, “Even if he did give us some food, that doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy!”

The girl-Emily stood firm, “He didn’t have to give us food, Owen! If he had wanted to apprehend us, I highly doubt he’d have had any trouble with two starving children! He’s offering us a place to stay and food to eat! We’d be idiots if we passed that up!”

The two siblings glared at each other for a minute, before the boy-Owen- finally seemed to relent, sighing in exasperation, “Fine, fine. You win, we’ll go.”

“Alright, well let’s head back to…” Link trailed off, suddenly feeling something strange.

“Uh…mister?” Emily inquired, tugging at his tunic.

He ignored her for the moment, trying to figure out what it was he was detecting. It was very familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. For whatever reason, it reminded him of his lost companion. Well, she wasn’t lost, really; just lost to him.

Then it hit him; this was Twili magic. But why would there be any left in Hyrule after Midna destroyed the Mirror of Twilight?

Link shook his head, he would get to the bottom of this, but he had to take care of the kids first.

“Sorry, just got lost in thought, let’s head back to the path and you guys can go on ahead to Ordon Village.” He said, before starting to head back down the trail Owen had left.

“Are you not coming with us? The boy asked, running up to walk alongside him.

Link smiled, “No, I need to check on something first, but don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you two.”

Owen nodded, seemingly satisfied.

A few minutes later, Link had the kids riding off on Epona, heading to Ordon Village. As they rode out of sight, he trekked back through the woods to where he first felt the Twili magic.

Now alone, Link could focus on the magic, trying to sense the direction of the source. Since he wasn’t able to turn into a wolf at the moment, sensing anything from the Twilight Realm became much more difficult, but he could feel it radiating the strongest from the left, so he jogged off in that direction.

This time around, there wasn’t any visible trail to lead him as he wandered towards what he hoped was the right way. Link could sense the Twili magic a lot easier now, so he assumed that he was getting closer at the very least.

Link estimated it was about noon by the time he found anything other than trees. He stumbled upon a large clearing with what looked to be ancient ruins, an aura of twilight seeming to cover the area like a dense fog. The ruins themselves resembled a small castle, but he couldn’t say for sure what exactly it was before it deteriorated.

The hero cautiously approached the ruins, glancing around for any sign of danger, but all was quiet. Even the birds had long gone silent, which unnerved him. Link stepped through a crumbled archway, scanning the area for anything that could possibly be emitting all this Twili magic.

The first room didn’t have much of anything, it had a few overturned wooden tables with old, yellowed paper strewn across the floor, but there wasn’t anything that looked to be of Twili origin, so he moved on into the next area.

The next few rooms were just about as empty as the first, housing some rotted furniture and tattered banners. However, in the fifth room, there were two wooden doors in the ground, leading to what Link assumed to be a basement or cellar or sorts.

Curious, Link heaved open the heavy doors, light spilling to reveal a small staircase, leading down into the barely illuminated basement. The hero descended the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the small space.

When he reached the bottom, it was fairly dark, but Link could just make out what looked to be a mirror at the other side of the room, the small amount of light in the basement reflecting off of it. He could almost immediately tell that this wasn’t a normal mirror.

In fact, Link could feel the Twili magic pulsing out in waves from the mirror. This was what he had been looking for. Link slowly approached, reaching out a hand, feeling the coolness of the glass underneath his fingertips.

Suddenly, a bright light erupted from the mirror, blinding Link for a moment before it faded, revealing something very familiar. It was a portal; a portal to the Twilight Realm. 

‘No. That’s impossible; Midna destroyed the only link to the Twilight Realm after she left him behind.’ Link thought. Yet right in front of him sat proof that that wasn’t true. 

A faint feeling of hope sparked in his chest. He could walk through that portal right now, he could see her again. After so long, he could finally see Midna.

‘Light and Shadow can’t mix.’ Her words echoed in his head.

Link looked down; the right thing to do would be to smash the mirror before someone else found it, but…

‘Link…I…see you later.’

Words couldn’t begin to describe how he felt when the Mirror of Twilight shattered that day. It was like his very soul shattered along with it. And now he finally had the chance to reunite with her. He stepped closer to the portal.

Link stopped. He couldn’t do this. 

She broke the mirror because it was too dangerous. If the Twilight Realm and Hyrule were to ever collide again, it would mean utter chaos for both worlds. Stepping through this portal would mean he would be joining two worlds that Midna sacrificed everything to keep apart.

In quite a literal sense, she shattered that mirror with her tears. She probably felt the same amount of pain he did, if not more. The decision wasn’t an easy one for her, but in the end, she had to put her people, along with Hyrule’s, first. 

Link clenched his fists, biting his lip so hard that it drew blood, but any pain from it was numbed by the throbbing ache in his heart. He was so close to her, just a few steps, in fact, yet he had to let her go. Stepping to the side slightly, he shakily raised his hands to grip to top of the glowing mirror.

He closed his eyes as he pushed it forward, letting gravity do the rest. A shattering sound echoed through the room.

Link didn’t know if that shattering was the sound of the glass, or the sound of his heart.

Keeping his eyes shut, not being able to bear looking at the pieces of glass scattered across the floor, he ascended the basement steps, tears threatening to spill.

‘It was for Midna.’ Link repeated like a mantra, trying not to focus on the broken mirror just behind him.

He opened his eyes again to the happy, sunny day. Why was it so cheery? How could anything possibly be bright after what just occurred? After he lost Midna for the third time?

Sinking to his knees, he let himself sob under the bright blue sky. 

He sat there long after his tears had dried up, almost in a daze. It registered in his mind that the sun had set, the remaining light painting the clouds overhead with an orange hue in contrast to the still-blue sky.

Twilight.

Coming to himself more, he stood up off the ground, staring at the sky. Ever since she left, he watched the twilight as it rose and fell every night. Seeing it always made him feel closer to Midna, as if they weren’t worlds apart.

He was the earth and she was the sky, forever close, but never able to meet. To many that might sound like a depressing thought, but feeling that bond, even for a short time, brought a small smile to his face. He had made the right choice regarding the mirror, as much as it pained him to make it. 

Link may not ever see her again, but as long as he held her memory close to his heart, he would be alright. He took a deep breath, and made his way out of the ruins, leaving the mirror behind.

When Link finally returned to Ordon Village, he could see the two kids he found earlier playing with Colin and the rest of the village children, each smiling and laughing as they ran around. 

“Link!” A voice shouted, footsteps alerting him to someone rapidly approaching.

He barely had time to turn around before Ilia crashed into him, hugging him tightly. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with relief.

Ilia looked up at him, “I was so worried about you! Ever since Epona came back with those two kids and without you I’ve been waiting for you to come back, but you took so long I was scared something had happened to you!”

“Sorry I worried you, Ilia. I just had to deal with something, that’s all.” Link explained.

“Well don’t go disappearing on me again, you hear? And don’t think you’re in the clear about Epona! You took her out without my permission! What if she had gotten hurt again?” She stopped speaking for a moment, and sighed, “But, since you both returned safely, I’ll let it go for now.”

With that, she walked away, presumably to return to her house for the night, the blue sky having given way to a starry night.

Link watched as the children were ushered to bed, including Emily and Owen. He smiled, happy that they could find some joy in the village. Rusl spotted him from a distance, offering him a smile, which he heartily returned.

The day having ended, Link climbed up into his treehouse, taking off his gear and settling into bed.

Before he drifted off, he smiled softly to himself, “Good night, Midna.”

In another world, a Twili princess spoke, “Good night, Link.”


End file.
